


Things that go Bump in the Night

by flannel_queer



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, garnetstein, monster au, pearlmethyst - Freeform, steven boooniverse, vamppearl, weremethyst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-13
Updated: 2017-01-03
Packaged: 2018-08-22 04:57:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8273740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flannel_queer/pseuds/flannel_queer
Summary: They did the mash, they did the monster mashThe monster mash, it was a graveyard smashThey did the mash, it caught on in a flashThey did the mash, they did the monster mash





	1. The Castle

Only the first pale traces of dawn were visible over the woods when Amethyst finally happened upon a small town. She had been stumbling through the forest – for how long, she didn’t know – carrying nothing but a cloak she had snatched from the cleaning line of a farm she had long since passed and a secret.

 

Twigs and leaves crunched beneath her bare feet and branches tore at her already-tattered clothes as she trudged through the underbrush looking for a better vantage point. She found a slope nearby and clambered up it, slipping and sliding on leaves wet with dew until she at last reached the top. There, a break in the trees revealed the outskirts of the village in the distance.

 

Countless tiny cottages were scattered across the countryside, encroached upon on all sides by the thick, endless expanse of the forest. Beyond the sparse outlying farms lay a modest town square and a marketplace, already bustling with activity as merchants began to set up their carts and stands in preparation to peddle their wares for the day. The wind carried the faintest waft of food to Amethyst’s sensitive nose.

 

Something clawed in her empty stomach. She would need to eat soon.

 

Amethyst cast a nervous glance over her shoulder. She wanted to keep moving, maybe stop at the next town, or the one after that, but she was weak. Her stomach growled in protest. No, she wouldn’t make it much further without food and rest. This town would have to do.

 

\--

 

She stepped out of the trees onto the beaten dirt path winding towards the village, tugging her hood low over her face and huddling deeper into her cloak. Other passerby gave her a wide berth. They could sense something was off. That only made Amethyst more uneasy. Though the echoes of beating hooves and angry shouts punctuated by the clang of pitchforks no longer rang in her ears, she was still on edge.

 

All her senses were so honed in on the humans, in fact, that she nearly collided with another hooded figure hastily making their way out of the town proper.

 

“Hey!” Amethyst grunted.

 

“You should watch where you’re going,” a velvety voice hissed somewhere above her. It was tinged with a strange lilt Amethyst didn’t recognize. She pulled her hood back in time to catch the parting glare of the tall stranger – ice-blue eyes, pink hair slicked straight back, the flash of a blood-red brooch around a pale neck – before long, hurried strides swept them away.

 

Amethyst stood for a moment, staring after the odd figure, until strange looks told her that she had had her hood off for too long. Quickly she tugged it over her ears again, and continued onward towards the town.

 

\--

 

The massive wooden door of the castle creaked open slowly, disturbing the bats huddled in the rafters. They shuffled and chittered angrily. The lone candle by the entryway swayed in the momentary breeze as a tall, thin figure glided through the opening. The great door slammed behind her.

 

A voice rang out, booming loudly in the spacious foyer.

 

“Pearl, do you realize what time it is?”

 

The wiry figure swept off her cloak and draped it on a floor candelabra before turning to face her inquisitor.

 

“Garnet, I assure you, I was in no danger,” she promised.

 

Garnet rose from the cobweb-drenched chair where she had been reclining. As she stepped from the shadows, the candlelight danced across her features, deepening the scar that twisted down the center of her face. The flickering light flashed first across one brown eye, then one green.

 

“I thought we agreed you would be back well before dawn,” she said, looming between Pearl and the staircase leading to her room. At well over six foot, she was a formidable obstacle.

 

“I was delayed,” Pearl intoned vaguely. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I must retire. As you astutely mentioned, it’s getting late, and I would like to bathe before I rest. I ran into a particularly unpleasant-smelling villager, and I’m afraid I can’t shake the smell of dog.”

 

Garnet folded her arms, crisscrossed with scars identical to the one running across her face. “Are you sure it’s a good idea for me to leave? I can stay.”

 

“No, no,” Pearl waved her off. “I’ll be just fine on my own. You can’t delay. It’s been years since you’ve been examined by your Makers. We can’t risk you falling apart.”

 

“And who’s going to watch over you and the castle during the day?”

 

“We’ve been over this,” Pearl groaned. “I can move my coffin to the dungeon if need be. Even the most meddling of humans won’t be able to disturb me there. And at night I’m quite capable of ensuring they won’t return.”

 

“Hmm,” Garnet hummed skeptically. But Pearl had already darted around her, glided up the cobweb-draped stairwell, and disappeared into her room.

 

\--

 

Dawn had broken over the horizon and the marketplace was bustling when Amethyst reached the town proper. The small square was packed with merchants, shouting at the top of their lungs to be heard over the cries of livestock. Wagons creaked and groaned over the choppy cobblestones, the only paved road in the village, and children darted to and fro with delighted shrieks.

 

Amethyst winced. The countless scents and sounds assailed her fine-tuned senses. She resisted the urge to balk and retreat to the solitude of the forest. Instead focusing on the gnawing feeling in her stomach, she ignored the raucous calls of peddlers and merchants to either side and followed the delectable scent of food that had led her to the small town.

 

She paid for a few items with the small amount of coin she kept in a purse slung around her neck. She shuffled off to a less crowded area of the market to eat, sighing as she looked down at the measly meal. It would barely restore her after last night’s ordeal, but it would have to be enough.

 

When she was finished, Amethyst ventured out of the deafening marketplace, casting about for a place to rest. Stealing through narrow, muddy alleyways, she pressed on until the noise of the square had faded, and she was surrounded by scattered farms spaced only a few acres apart.

 

She got lucky. On the third farm she visited she found a decrepit barn, missing half of one side but otherwise functional. She clambered up into the hayloft and curled up on the rough straw. She would be safe here, for now.

 

She knew she had to gather strength quickly, which meant she needed to rest, but not more than a day or two. Then she would have to do her best to find work – small jobs that brought some coin but no questions –and maybe bargain for a place to stay. After that she could only save up and prepare.

 

Her eyelids grew heavy, though her stomach still felt empty. She burrowed deeper into the hay. Idly, she wondered how long she would be able to stay this time. The town was nice enough, it seemed, though she had learned it was best not to get too settled in any particular place. There was no telling if she would have to move on after the next change.

 

\--

 

Amethyst came to slowly, her ears ringing. The metallic scent of blood filled her nostrils. She blinked, trying to get her bearings while she waited for the fog to leave her mind.

 

She was on the ground. She focused on what she was lying on. _Leaves. Dirt. Damp. Forest? Still dark. Night or tree cover? Can’t tell._

 

Slowly, she struggled to her feet. _Check for danger – humans?_ She sniffed the air, but any scents were muffled by the sharp tang of blood. _Hers?_ No, no pain anywhere. There wasn’t the characteristic clawing hunger either. In fact, she felt full.

 

_Damn._ So she had apparently gone hunting. She prayed she had gorged herself on some sort of livestock. She looked around, catching sight of the remains of…something. It looked like it was a cow. Or rather, had been a cow.

 

The ringing in her ears finally faded, and Amethyst slowly became aware of the sound of voices.

 

She cursed under her breath. Farmers, probably looking for their cow. She couldn’t pinpoint how far they were. A quarter mile? Less? Her senses hadn’t quite adjusted yet, but she knew they were close.

 

A yell just a hundred yards beyond a stand of trees to her left made her freeze. In a heartbeat she dropped to all fours and took off running at full speed.

 

A hoarse cry told her she had been spotted. She hurtled through the trees, branches whipping at her face and legs. She still had no idea where she was going, had no time to get her bearings. Which way was the town? Was she headed straight for it? Pounding footsteps only a couple hundred yards behind told her she didn’t have time to guess.

 

She scrambled over a small knoll, darting into a patch of thick, overgrown brush. Thorns from countless brambles tore at her skin, but she ignored the smarting pain. The creeping exhaustion in her already-spent limbs was what she was more afraid of.

 

She burst out of the thicket to find a massive castle of ancient, weathered stone looming ahead of her. The dreary exterior looked ominous, dark turrets with windows like empty eyes glaring into the sky. A great wooden door, the only visible entryway, looked like it hadn’t been moved for millennia.

 

Amethyst’s ears pricked up as the men’s shouts rang out not far behind her. They were gaining. Out of breath with no time to think, she poured her last bit energy into a dead sprint towards the castle.

 

To her surprise, the door groaned open as she approached. She flung herself the last few feet into the yawning darkness. She landed hard, claws skidding against the stone of the shadowy foyer, as the door banged shut behind her.

 

She collapsed on her side, panting hard. Her body was aching almost too much to think. She desperately wanted to lie down and rest for a while, but a movement in the corner caught her eye. She sat up in time to see a tall, slender figure emerge from the shadows behind the door. Amethyst looked up to see icy blue eyes glaring down a long, pointed nose at her.

 

Realization hit her like a jolt – it was the stranger she had run into the first day she had come into town.

 

Amethyst had just opened her mouth to ask where she was when a loud pounding on the door made her jump. The hunters. She growled low in her throat, but it came out more like a whimper.

 

The genteel stranger didn’t seem alarmed. With a supernatural grace she floated towards the door. Amethyst yelped and scrambled behind a dusty suit of armor as the stranger opened it and peered outside.

 

“Yes?” There it was, that strange lilt again.

 

The men, who had been shouting moments before, instantly felt silent. The stranger didn’t wait for a response.

 

“I assure you, you won’t find what you’re looking for here.” Her voice was melodic, mesmerizing. Amethyst found herself entranced. She could only guess it was having a similar effect on her audience.

 

The stranger continued. “This castle has been abandoned for hundreds of years. Do you understand?”

 

To Amethyst’s surprise, the statement was met with mumbled agreement.

 

“Good,” the stranger purred. “Now be on your way.”

 

Amethyst strained her ears. Sure enough, she was met with the sound of departing footsteps as the men took their leave. The wiry stranger withdrew and shoved the huge door shut behind her.

 

“How did you do that?” Amethyst asked incredulously.

 

“You have your – er…talents,” the stranger replied, eyeing Amethyst’s tattered attire. “And I have mine.”

 

With a fluid spin she abruptly turned her back on her guest and advanced up the staircase. “You’ll find clothes in various rooms. I’m certain there are some that the moths haven’t gotten to yet,” she said without turning around. “You may rest here until you’ve recovered from your change. Then be on your way.”

 

She reached the top of the landing and turned to enter the nearest room.

 

“Wait!” Amethyst yelled. The stranger half-turned, arching a dainty eyebrow in a question.

 

“Thank you…for saving me,” Amethyst said. “I don’t even know your name.”

 

“Pearl,” the stranger replied, already moving to shut the door.

 

“I’m Amethyst,” she called out as the door swung shut. She wondered if Pearl had even heard.

 

Bizarre. _First she saves my ass, now she won’t even talk to me?_

 

Amethyst shook her head. Getting stuck in a creepy castle with a stuffy vampire hadn’t been her plan. But she had to admit, the dust and cobwebs coating the ancient tapestries and suits of armor gave the place a homey feel. And it wasn’t as though she had anywhere else to go.

 

She wandered out of the foyer and through an archway, finding herself in a cavernous room lined with shelves that were crammed with books. They seemed to be in surprisingly good condition, despite the omnipresent scent of mildew and rot that permeated the castle. All the walls featured towering bookcases except the back one, which instead hosted a grand fireplace in front of which sat three large claw-footed armchairs. Amethyst padded up to it, inspecting the rug lying near the hearth. Yes, this would do nicely.

 

She plopped down, curling up comfortably on the faded carpet. Her body still ached from her transformation, and her muscles groaned in relief as she finally relaxed.

 

_Things could be worse,_ she thought as her eyelids grew heavy. She was stuck in an eerie castle with no plan, no prospects, and no place to go. _But at least,_ she thought as she drifted to sleep,  _I might have found a friend._


	2. The Hunter

Amethyst’s sensitive ears pricked at an almost imperceptible sound somewhere in the castle. Rousing herself from an intoxicating, deep slumber, she stirred lazily on the hearthrug before finally rising to stretch, yawning wide.

 

She opened her eyes. Shadows stretched long across the faded rugs scattered across the floor of the library. Amethyst glanced out the window to see the sun lingering low over the treetops of the darkened forest. How long had she been out?

 

Another sound disturbed the still, moldy air of the ancient castle, making Amethyst pause.

 

_No way that dainty vamp is knocking around this old place_. Chances are, she had been here for centuries and knew the place like the back of her hand. Not to mention that according to the position of the sun, she shouldn’t even be awake.

 

Silently, Amethyst padded to the arched doorway leading back to the entry hall. She followed the faint sound, which she could now discern along with voices, up a staircase twisting far up to the higher reaches of the castle. The voices drew her up what she assumed were the stairs to one of the castle’s many turrets, but branched off before she reached the top. The short hall lead to a small, rotting door bound in iron. She shrugged it open, wincing at its tired groan.

 

It led out onto a narrow parapet encircling the stony ruin. She peeked through one of the square openings in the battlement and quickly ducked back out of sight. Two men were scaling the wall using one of the climbing vines that had slowly grown up the ruin, shouting excitedly to two more men below. Her keen ears picked up their conversation. Curious humans, from the sound of it, drawn to the mysterious structure in the middle of the woods. However, the voices were growing nearer, and without a persuasive vampire on hand, the discovery of the castle’s inhabitants would soon prove to be difficult to avoid.

 

Amethyst thought quickly, looking around. Her eyes landed on the end of the vines curling over the battlements, anchoring the larger tendrils solidly to the parapet. Sharp claws and teeth quickly loosened their grip. She listened with satisfaction as two cries rang out, followed by two staggered thuds. She risked another look from her vantage point.

 

The two dazed men scrambled to their feet with the help of their friends. After brief consultation, a couple ran off back into the woods. The remaining ones approached the front door.

 

Amethyst growled and stalked along the ramparts nervously. _Why aren’t they leaving?_

 

She trotted back to the turret and down the stairs to get a better vantage point. Peeking through a arrow slit in the wall, she spotted the two men return, emerging from the trees armed with axes. They immediately joined their comrades, and turned their attention to the great door. They raised their weapons. She winced at the sound of metal striking metal, as it rang through the trees.

 

“Could really use a hypnotic bloodsucker right about now,” she muttered under her breath. It would take a lot more than a couple villagers with axes to breach the castle, but she didn’t like the idea of them making any headway, especially since it meant drawing attention to the building when its sole inhabitant seemed so insistent on keeping it hidden.

 

_Think think think think think_. The sharp sound of the blows rang in her ears. What she wouldn’t give to have Pearl’s effortless powers right now instead of her own ‘talents.’

 

_Actually…_ Amethyst looked up at the bats clustered high up in the roof of the turret. _My so-called ‘talents’ might just do._ She positioned herself in the middle of the turret, took a deep breath, and let out an ear-splitting howl.

 

The sound ricocheted through the turret and echoed out through the forest along with the sound of hundreds of wings as the bats vacated their roost in a swarm that darkened the evening sky.

 

Amethyst galloped back to the front door in time to watch the backs of the sprinting men disappear into the distance, their panicked yells gradually fading into the sounds of the still forest.

 

“So perhaps there is some benefit to having a werewolf around the castle.”

 

Amethyst looked up. The cool voice belonged to Pearl, who had silently appeared beside her. She glanced up at the sky. Only the most distant fringe showed any hint of the dying sun’s light.

 

“Sorry if I woke ya,” Amethyst apologized.

 

Pearl rested a hand on her head. A chill went down Amethyst’s spine, though her beast blood never allowed her to feel cold.

 

“You did well,” Pearl said, which Amethyst interpreted as a ‘thank you.’ “Perhaps you’re not so unruly as I thought,” she continued, although her eyes raked over Amethyst’s unintentionally daring apparel.

 

“Um, thanks?” Amethyst replied.

 

“Should you wish to remain here, you are welcome,” Pearl finished, slamming the door and sweeping back into the foyer with a billow of her cape.

 

“Wait…I can stay?” Amethyst sputtered. She thought for a moment. “But what if…what happens…the next time I change?”

 

“Well,” Pearl hesitated. “I would protect you, of course.” She looked pained, though Amethyst could tell she was being sincere. Being soft evidently didn’t come as part of the undead package, along with taking blood from the living and hypnotizing people at will.

 

“Thank you,” Amethyst said earnestly. A place to stay – a place where she was accepted – was something she had never even considered before. She hadn’t believed such a place could exist.

 

Pearl sniffed, turning and striding towards the staircase. “Well, you’re useful. Somebody must guard the castle during the day. And it’s certainly no trouble, provided you don’t chew on the tapestries or chase the bats, or –”

 

Amethyst grabbed her hand, cutting her off. “Hey – thanks. I mean it,” she said.

 

Pearl turned to rest her gaze on her. Her look was magnetic. Combined with her presence – from the soft lilt in her voice to the haunting grace of her motion – she was captivating. Suddenly Amethyst understood perfectly how vampires could lure people to their death. And she couldn’t say for certain that she would object.

 

Pearl seemed to read her mind. She withdrew her hand, exasperated. “Oh please,” she groaned. “You’re a wolf. You’re more than capable of resisting my charms.”

 

Amethyst gave her a pointy grin. “Not all of them.”

 

Pearl rolled her eyes and she turned on her heel back towards the staircase, muttering something under her breath. Amethyst could just pick up “…of course the world’s gayest werewolf…” before she reached the top.

 

Amethyst bounded up the stairs behind her. “So, what do you do for fun around here?” she needled, appearing again at Pearl’s side.

 

Pearl looked down at her and grinned. Her eyeteeth gleamed in the candlelight, sending chills down Amethyst’s spine.

 

“We hunt.”

 

\--

In the weak light of the moon, a stranger descended down the dusty road leading to the village. Cloaked in a dark cape, hood pulled low over shifty, darting eyes, he entered the now sparsely-populated town square. Merchants heaved bundles onto wagons and livestock, and tiny children holding ropes lead cows and goats down old beaten paths radiating out from the town to outlying farms.

 

Hurried steps carried the stranger past the departing citizens, into shadowy alleys winding deep into the cluster of houses and shops. He weaved through them until he found himself on the outskirts of the town, composed of scattered ramshackle buildings with drooping roofs bridged by narrow roads thick with mud. Only the occasional stray dog wandered past, or a drunken idlers on their way home.

 

He followed the faint sound of merriment until he came to a tavern, a lantern hanging by the door shedding sparse light. Yells and raucous laughter rang from inside. He stepped over a man in a drunken stupor propped against the doorframe and shoved through the sagging door.

 

The tavern was dimly lit and reeked of alcohol, but neither of these things, nor the cacophonous crowd of drunks, seemed to perturb the stranger. He eyed the sloshing pitchers of beer, but instead made his way through the crowd to a small table near the back door.

 

The tavern owner approached him a few minutes later, but he waved away the overflowing pitcher she offered.

 

“I’m here for business.” His voice was low, not quite threatening but not far from it. He lowered his hood, revealing a sharp face dusted with a scraggy beard. His hair was long, and blond enough to be silver. “Pray tell, have there been any unusual occurrences recently? Of the more – unnatural, sort?”

 

The tavern owner appraised him suspiciously. “I haven’t the slightest clue what you mean. What exactly sort of business are you in?”

 

“I’m a hunter, of sorts,” he explained. “Although I prefer more dangerous game.” He waited as understanding dawned on her face. “Have there been any issues of note recently?”

 

The tavern owner waved at another customer asking for a drink, then turned back and shook her head. “No, nothing like that,” she replied. “Only thing that’s happened around here is Mr. Owen’s cow being killed just a few days ago. Said it was wolves, poor thing. Went looking for them the next day but couldn’t find a one.”

 

“Send him over,” the stranger requested.

 

The tavern owner bustled off. The stranger watched as she bent to whisper in the ear of a shabby-looking farmer who then stood and shuffled over. The stranger gestured to the seat across the table, and the man accepted it nervously. His clothes were worn, and he worried his hat with tanned, calloused hands.

 

“I’m told you’ve had some trouble with wolves, is that correct?” the stranger began.

 

“Y-yes. I believe so,” the farmer replied, but he seemed disturbed. He continued to twist the brim of his hat, glancing around anxiously.

 

“Let me be clear,” the stranger continued. “I am a great hunter of both the natural and the unnatural. If this town is in need of my services, you must tell me.”

 

The farmer nodded quickly.

 

“Tell me what you saw.”

 

“Sometime in the night I heard Bess – my cow – let out an unearthly wailing sound. My wife grabbed the shotgun, and I went for the pitchfork by the door, and a lantern. We ran outside, but by the time we did, she was gone.”

 

The farmer paused, and the stranger waved over the tavernkeeper for another drink. The man took it gratefully and continued.

 

“I gathered the neighbors, and followed the trail the next morning. There was blood showing where she was dragged into the forest.” Abruptly, he stopped, looking around in fear. He leaned in, lowering his voice.

 

“We got to what was left of her and chased something down, not a hundred yards from the body,” the farmer’s voice grew unsteady. “The carcass looked like it had been wolves, but…what we saw…whatever we chased, wasn’t any kind of wolf I’ve ever seen.”

 

The stranger lowered his voice conspiratorially, so their conversation was almost inaudible in the roar of their surroundings. “How do you mean?”

 

“I don’t know,” the farmer replied. “I – I’m not sure what we saw. It didn’t look like a wolf, but – I mean, it couldn’t have been human.”

 

The stranger leaned back, considering. “I’ll need you to show me exactly where you found this creature, come dawn,” he finally said. The farmer nodded. “And in the meantime, keep your doors locked and your livestock well-guarded.”

 

The farmer nodded again, then took his leave. The stranger watched him depart then leaned back in his chair, musing.

 

So, this was the werewolf he had been tracking the past two months. Apparently it had decided to make its home in this village. It had certainly made things difficult for him, passing several towns on the way, causing him to lose its trail and backtrack to the town it had last been driven from. But he had chosen the correct path and had found it at last. This would be a straightforward kill.

 

He sighed, accepting a tankard from the tavernkeeper on her next pass. Killing livestock, what a foolish mistake. Werewolves were such easy prey. It was almost a waste of his skill.

 

He had little interest in targeting a monthly aberration – powerful, yes, and with human cunning, but ultimately an undisciplined creature posing little more of a challenge than the average beast.

 

No, he longed to hunt true creatures of the night – the solitary, noble vampires possessing all faculties both natural and supernatural. Beautiful, powerful, deadly – those were creatures worthy of his expertise. But vampires were elusive. Tracking them was next to impossible, and the few reports of them were scattered far and wide, all of dubious credibility given vampires’ uncanny abilities of persuasion and illusion.

 

The stranger finished his drink and paid, then rose to shove his way back through the densely-packed pub. Unfortunately werewolves were far more common and dependable, as far as earning decent coin. For now he would remain in this town, finish the job. Then, with that done, he might continue his search for more worthy prey.

 

\--

 

“Um, Pearl? You sure there isn’t some easier way to do this?”

 

They stood at the perimeter of one of the lower, open turrets. Amethyst peered over the edge nervously, as Pearl balanced with supernatural ease on a merlon. Her wiry silhouette was stark against the dark night sky. Although the platform and its two figures were awash in the bright moonlight, only Amethyst cast a shadow.

 

“Oh honestly, it’s just a short jump,” Pearl sighed. “Aren’t you werewolves notoriously hard to kill?”

 

“Yea, but that doesn’t mean it’s not gonna _hurt_ ,” Amethyst complained, looking down at the hundred-foot drop.

 

“Well we can’t use the front door in case any other humans have taken a sudden interest in us. Just follow the staircase to the ground and use the trapdoor to the dungeon. There should be a hidden passageway leading to the north wall somewhere in the guard’s room. I’ll meet you there,” Pearl breezed.

 

“Sounds easy coming from someone who can leap into a flying rodent,” Amethyst muttered.

 

But she stalled a few more seconds, watching in awe as Pearl whipped her cape around her only to emerge in midair as a small, snub-nosed bat. The tiny creature let out a string of authoritative squeaks in Amethyst’s direction, then wheeled around and careened into the night.

 

“Guess that means ‘hurry,’” Amethyst grumbled, turning down the long flight of stairs.

 

\--

 

Amethyst would only gradually come to realize that while hunting, Pearl was truly in her element. No sooner would she come huffing and puffing out of a slimy tunnel emptying out somewhere along the north wall, than Pearl would have already materialized beside her, urging her on. Together they would plunge into the woods at a feverish pace, Amethyst galloping on all fours to keep up.

 

It was never abundantly clear to Amethyst whether Pearl was running or gliding. If her toes met the ground, it was with the absent gravity of a dancer – no sooner had she touched down, seemingly without her feet taking any weight, than she was in midair again. Amethyst had to learn to leap from ground to tree, then from branch to branch, so as not to lose Pearl in the dark forest. The normal desire, or even the need, to remain connected to the ground, was missing in Pearl, who would take to the trees or the skies as effortlessly as the breeze. Amethyst loved watching her in the short moments snatched between dodging trees and underbrush. Her pale face set hard in concentration, blue eyes piercing through the forest towards prey still unseen.

 

Nothing Amethyst had ever witnessed seemed so beautiful. That, and the moment Pearl found her prey.

 

“Hunting wild animals is safest,” Pearl had told her. “It doesn’t attract the attention of humans, like preying on livestock or people.”

 

So they targeted animals of the forest, although ‘they’ mostly meant ‘Pearl.’ Amethyst’s abilities fluctuated with the waxing and waning of the moon. At her weakest, she was as helpless as a human, but even at her strongest, nothing could compare to Pearl.

 

Deadly silent, never casting the slightest shadow, she was next to invisible. It became a routine. Amethyst would remain in the shadows, watching closely as Pearl evaporated into the branches or vanished somewhere within the trees to stalk her prey – anything from a lone deer sleeping in a leafy hollow to a wolf on a twilight hunt. She moved lightning fast. The moment between her lunge and the animal’s final breath began and ended in a heartbeat. An agile leap, an immobilizing bite, usually followed by a merciful _snap_ of the neck, and her prey was dead before it knew it was being hunted. Amethyst never tired of watching her in action.

 

Once the prey was subdued, Pearl would drink hungrily, a moment Amethyst relished as the only one where she could witness Pearl lose her usual cool composure. Even then, she was neat, letting only a few drops of crimson streak down her jaw. Amethyst had to suppress the urge to lick them away.

 

By the time Pearl was finished, Amethyst was more animal than human. Hunger clawed at her insides, the smell of fresh meat so close that her muscles ached and screamed to _move_. It took all her power to restrain herself, not let the bloodlust cloud her mind.

 

Finally, Pearl would relinquish the body, and Amethyst would be on it before it could hit the ground, tearing and shredding flesh as the wolf’s instinct, its hunger, took over.

 

After they were finished, they would return to the castle. Pearl would choose a book, then take up her favorite seat in the claw-footed armchair in the library. Amethyst would curl up beside her and keep her company until the sun rose.

 

\--

 

“You’re looking particularly wolfish lately,” Pearl remarked as they sat before the hearth, several weeks later. It had been as long since they had first talked about her change.

 

Amethyst growled. “What’s it to you?” she snapped. But she had noticed it too. Her teeth now pricked her lips, and her ears were long and pointed. Not to mention her moodiness of late, interspersed with random waves of aggression.

 

“Sorry,” she mumbled. A comforting hand running through her unkempt mane of hair signaled she was forgiven.

 

“What do you want to do?” Pearl asked.

 

“I dunno,” Amethyst sighed. She eyed her pronounced claws. “I figure I can just use the dungeon. It’s ancient but if you lock me in one of the cells, it might hold for a while at least.”

 

An abrupt but gentle hand tugged her chin upwards, forcing her to meet Pearl’s steely eyes. “You are not an animal, and I won’t lock you up like one.” Her voice was calm but sharp with an edge Amethyst didn’t recognize.

 

Amethyst pulled away. “Well I have to go somewhere!” she protested. “If I get out I could blow our cover or draw attention to the castle or hurt someone!”

 

She didn’t want to say it aloud, but she was worried about this change too. For the first time, she had something to lose – a home, a friend. And something else had occurred to her. _What if I hurt Pearl?_

 

As usual, Pearl seemed to understand what she wasn’t saying.

 

“You can’t harm me.”

 

Her voice was cool, assured. Like it always was. Amethyst wanted to believe her. But she couldn’t take that chance.

 

“No!” she barked, louder than she intended. She swallowed the sudden wave of rage, then continued. “No, chain me up. It’s better that way. It’ll be safer.”

 

Pearl’s face hardened, but she couldn’t protest. “Fine,” she agreed.

 

They sat in silence for a while, until finally, Amethyst spoke.

 

“So how did you – when did you – you know?”

 

“Become a vampire?” Pearl asked. “Several centuries ago. I was transformed by another vampire.” She settled back in her chair, as though that settled the matter.

 

Amethyst propped her chin on the armrest expectantly. Pearl raised her eyebrows. “You want the entire story?”

 

“Why not?” Amethyst replied. “We got all the time in the world.”

 

“I suppose,” Pearl admitted. She sighed, lowering the book that she had been only half-reading.  Her eyes drifted off into the distance, replaying events long past. Absentmindedly, she placed a gentle hand on Amethyst’s head.

 

“I had been a servant to a wealthy family,” she began. “But they treated me terribly. For most of my life, I had never been free. Until one day, when I was enchanted by a beautiful vampire – Rose.”

 

Her gaze grew softer, drifting far off again. She almost looked wistful.

 

“So she lured you to her?” Amethyst interrupted, drawing her back to the present.

 

“No, no, nothing like that,” Pearl insisted. “By that time, I had already fallen in love with her. I went willingly.”

 

“She let you choose?” Amethyst asked dubiously.

 

“Yes,” she answered. “Rose was kind. I wanted to become this. I wanted to spend eternity with her.”

 

Amethyst was about to ask what happened, but a shadow of pain crossed Pearl’s face. That would have to be a question for another day.

 

Pearl quickly gathered herself and continued. “We came here to this castle with Garnet” –  Amethyst nodded; Pearl had mentioned her before – “and the two of us have remained here ever since.”

 

“And you?” Pearl asked after a beat. “How did you become a werewolf?”

 

Amethyst laughed humorlessly. “Oh you know the story. Wandering in the woods after dark a little over a century ago, got bitten. Nuthin’ special.”

 

“It’s amazing you lived,” Pearl remarked.

 

“Yea, that’s me, lucky,” was the sardonic reply. For some reason, Amethyst felt like she was about to cry. “Some of us get powers, become beautiful, timeless vampires. I lose control of myself every month and drive everyone I care about away.”

 

“That may be true,” Pearl said, matter-of-factly. “But I care about you.”

 

Amethyst smiled briefly at the agonized look on Pearl’s face. That was a lot, coming from this particular stony vampire. She laid her head on Pearl’s lap. “You’re just sayin’ that.”

 

Pearl ran her hand through Amethyst’s hair, rubbing a gentle thumb over her pointy ears. “Yes, because I’m known for my charitable nature and inclination toward companionship,” Pearl said drily.

 

Amethyst yawned happily. “Don’t you vampires mate for life?”

 

“Yes, and the rest become slaves to my will and then perish a miserable death by my thirst and their own desire.”

 

“Should I be worried?”

 

“If I wanted to kill you, you would be dead already.”

 

“So you do like me?”

 

“If you insist on making me repeat myself, I will be forced to reconsider,” Pearl growled.

 

Amethyst smiled. “I like you too.”

 

\--

 

In a shabby cabin nestled in the shadow of the woods, the hunter sat at his table, in view of the trees. Spread out before him lay the many parts of his gun. He polished each piece in turn with a greased rag, humming softly to himself.

 

He had been renting the tiny shack cheaply from a local farmer for the better part of a month. Every night he had been patiently charting the cycle of the moon, waiting for the time of the month when the wolf would reemerge. He had missed the last change, thrown off track by the thing’s uncertain path. He had not anticipated it would pass over several towns before settling in this one. It had taken him far too long to realize his error and track it down once again. But now, finally, tonight was the night.

 

The late afternoon sun gleamed on the four silver bullets lying beside him on the table. He picked one up to examine, then loaded it and cocked the gun. The weapon felt good in his hands. He glanced out at the slow-moving sun once more. He was impatient, itching to kill this wolf and move on. He had better things to do than simple pest control for helpless farmers.

 

Long ago, the hunter would have been worried, even nervous, but that time had long since passed. Countless werewolves had fallen before the muzzle of his gun, and this one was no different.

 

Over the last few weeks, with the help of the local farmers, he had mapped sites where deer and other large game could be found. He had also alerted the farmers whose properties adjoined the woods to mount a lantern on a pole outside their homes, should any of their livestock go missing during the night.

 

He shoved back the chair, striding to the window to look out over the eerily still woods, the interior already in twilight thanks to the thick canopy of branches. He was ready. Now he had only to wait for the wolf to take its prey. Then the hunt would begin.


End file.
